Press statement by Lauren Pagel, Policy Director, EARTHWORKS
“EARTHWORKS congratulates Senator Ken Salazar on his nomination to be Secretary of Interior. We know Senator Salazar to be a solution-oriented bridge builder whose intimate knowledge of public lands issues gives hope for a new day in the management of public lands — and the valuable cultural, environmental, and natural resources they contain.
This year, Senator Salazar has pledged his support for long overdue reforms to the 1872 Mining Law, the law that governs metal mining, like gold, copper and uranium, on public lands. EARTHWORKS is confident that the Senator will continue to work for real and meaningful reform of this outdated law in his new role as Secretary.
Senator Salazar has also demonstrated his commitment to responsible natural resource development in his efforts to ensure that the concerns of all of Colorado s citizens are reflected in any oil and gas development on the Roan plateau and that any oil shale regulations fully take into account impacts to water.
We look forward to working with Senator Salazar in his new position to redirect the Interior Department so that it once again serves the public — as opposed to servicing corporations. He can do this by protecting public lands and water resources from the destructive impacts of mining and oil and gas development, while encouraging responsible resource extraction. We know he is up for the challenge. There are numerous activities that Senator Salazar can undertake in his new role to limit extractive industries footprint on our nation s natural treasures.”
